Real Madrid are believed to have accepted that Raphael Varane wants to leave the club this summer and are prepared to work for an agreement with willing buyers, where Manchester United seems to be the four-time Champions League winner’s favorite goal.
Varane has now entered the final year of his Real contract and has decided that it is time for a new challenge after spending ten extremely successful years in Madrid.
His contract situation means that Real would lose him as a free agent next year if they refuse to sell this summer while the Frenchman still has a transfer value.
Although he was also linked with Paris Saint-Germain, it was reported at the end of June that Varane is interested in joining Manchester United. In addition, the Old Trafford club’s capture of Jadon Sancho, subject to doctors, now allows them to turn their full attention to signing Varane and talks are rumored to have begun to make significant progress in recent days.
Man Utd is making progress in its efforts to sign Varane / Denis Doyle / Getty Images
Real wanted Varane to stay was reportedly offered him a new contract in May. But Los Blancos seemed to be fighting a losing battle and the Spanish newspaper ABC now writes that the club is now working on the assumption that he will now be sold in the coming weeks.
The departure of Zinedine Zidane, who was so crucial to Varane’s move to Real at the age of 18 a decade ago, is believed to have been the last straw in the player’s decision to leave. He is said to have already had an eye on a Premier League switch for a number of years and is keen to be a United player when pre-season training begins in a couple of weeks.
ABC claims that Varane’s camp has an agreement with United on personal terms that would be close to the double proposal in Madrid. Real offered a net salary of € 7m (£ 6m), but it is suggested that United are willing to pay him € 12m (£ 10.3m), equivalent to £ 200,000 per week.
It is said to be the salary he would have wanted to stay at Real, but it was never on the table when the club agreed to pay the new signing David Alaba so much.
Real Madrid are not willing to pay Varane as much as they offered new signing David Alaba / FRANCK FIFE / Getty Images
What remains is for United to agree on a transfer fee with Real. As it now stands, the two clubs appear to be around € 15 million, with the former so far willing to pay € 45 million (£ 38.6 million) but the latter holding out for € 60 million (£ 51.5 million). It was recently reported that a figure of 43 million pounds may be enough.
As for Real, the expected departure from Varane apart from Sergio Ramos’ departure is not expected to drive them into the market for a new midfielder. They have already signed the aforementioned Alaba and had been linked with Pau Torres and Jules Kounde, but will instead make one of Jesus Vallejo, Mario Gila or Victor Chust the fourth midfielder in the first team’s team.
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